Majority

1. Provide concrete evidence about the potential benefits of the proposed idea.
2. Provide evidence that outlines how a similar idea has been adopted and is working for another school community with a similar context. The more examples of others, the better.
3. Present evidence to show school community member support for an idea.
4. School community leaders in the Majority category will be more willing to support a new idea if there is evidence of support for the issue.
   • One way to present this evidence is by having members of the school community write a letter (or email) of support for the idea.
   • Provide information through formal avenues of communication.
     • This may involve writing letters, attending staff or parent council meetings, or presenting at professional development days, teachers conventions, conferences, professional learning opportunities, etc.
5. Evidence presented should be condensed, summarized, and easy to read.

For resources on working with evidence click here.

For sources of evidence click here.

For resources on assessing return on investment of a new idea click here.

For resources on how to conduct a health impact assessment click here.

1. Highlight the number of school communities that have undergone similar changes.
   • Focus on school communities with similar characteristics.
   • Invite individuals from other school communities to share their experiences.
2. Emphasize that they do not want to be left behind other school communities.
   • A Majority-type school community would rather change with other schools than be one of the first to change. Keep this ‘group’ mentality in mind and work with the idea that while they may not want to be the first to change, it is also likely that they do not want to be left behind by other school communities either.
3. Approach multiple schools to take action on an idea together.
   • When school communities work together, it limits the perceived risk that they will have to manage on their own. It also helps to create a ‘community of support’ for the idea.

For resources on how to frame messaging click here.

1. It is important to: (a) understand the needs and characteristics of the school community that you are working with; and (b) determine how knowledgeable the school community (e.g., teachers, administrators, parents, students, etc.) are about the proposed idea.
   • To better understand the school community you are working with, it may be beneficial to conduct a situational assessment.
     • A situational assessment helps determine the needs and strengths of a school community. It involves the examination of factors such as the leadership system and budgeting situation, key stakeholders, literature, previous evaluations, and the school community’s overall vision.
     • Conducting a situational assessment requires a great deal of time and energy and is not suitable or necessary for every situation.
2. Educate the school community on the proposed idea based on the existing level of school community knowledge.
   • Majority-types will likely require a more extensive information/education campaign.
   • Create and foster dialogue within the school community. Buy-in from the school community is important for a Majority school community. Low levels of school community understanding of the concerns the school is trying to address will decrease the likelihood of successfully implementing the idea.
3. Focus on raising awareness about the idea(s) and on educating the school community about the need for the idea and its possible benefits.
4. Organize the school community to show their support for the idea.
   • This can be achieved by creating collaborations or working groups within the school.
5. Launch a letter/email writing campaign and encourage school community champions, other stakeholders, and parents to participate.
   • Encourage school leadership team to respond to letters, emails, and phone calls from school community members. This provides the leadership team with an opportunity to informally assess the level of school community interest and support, and to better understand the issues related to the idea.
6. Encourage school community members to set up meetings with the leadership team.
   • The more people who are actively engaged in helping to move the new idea forward, the less energy people have to spend educating the leadership team about the idea and demonstrating school community support.

For resources on conducting a situational assessment click here.

For resources on working with decision-makers click here.

For resources on raising awareness click here.

1. Identify and work with champions in the school community.
   • In a Majority school community, certain individuals will be more open and receptive to new ideas than others. Engage these “receptive” individuals and work with them to move the idea forward.
2. Maintain relationships with school leadership team, and school community members who are receptive to the new idea.
   • These individuals will likely encounter resistance from others within the school community and will require your support to counter opposition to the idea.

For resources on identifying and working with champions click here.

1. Tools and incentives can be used to encourage the adoption of a new idea by making the proposed idea easier to implement and of increased benefit to the school community.
   • Examples of tools include:
     • the creation of an idea binder to lead the school community through the entire process of developing the idea; or,
     • providing the school community with a template for the idea.
   • Examples of incentives include:
     • grant opportunities,
     • funding from local businesses with interest in the new idea,
     • verbal recognition,
     • formal awards, or
     • strategic positioning of the school community as a leader.

2. Provide the school community with support to help them define goals, set targets, and make the uptake of a new idea easier.
   • Match the school community with an agency or local non-government organization that has a stake in the idea and can provide the school community with ongoing support as it goes through the process of moving forward with the new idea.

For tools for the adoption of new ideas click here.

For examples of incentives click here.